Nationals expect to activate Wilson Ramos from DL on Thursday

Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos is set to conclude his rehab assignment and join the team on Thursday, manager Davey Johnson told reporters Wednesday night (Washingtontimes.com). Ramos has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since May 15 -- and that includes a setback.

Ramos, 25, is a productive hitting catcher when he's healthy, as he has a career .267/.331/.432 line (108 OPS-plus) with 34 doubles and 21 homers in 665 career plate appearances. He's only managed 39 games in the last two seasons combined, however, after finishing fourth in 2011 NL Rookie of the Year voting. He tore his ACL last season, ending his sophomore campaign after just 25 games.

Expect Ramos to split time with Kurt Suzuki at first, but his bat should eventually win him the majority of the time behind the dish for Washington. That is, provided he's able to stay healthy.